Electric wire end treatment device and electric wire end treatment method

ABSTRACT

An end treatment portion  1   a  which treats ends Wa and Wb of an electric wire W and a transfer portion  7  which transfers the electric wire W are provided; a discharge portion  6 , which discharges the electric wire W which is subjected to an end treatment by the end treatment portion  1   a  and transferred by the transfer portion  7 , is also provided; the discharge portion  6  includes a discharge beam  11  for securing the electric wire W in a predetermined arrangement pattern; a calculation portion  20 , which controls a securing treatment for securing the electric wire W to the discharge beam  11  in the discharge portion  6 , is provided; and the predetermined arrangement pattern is set by the calculation portion  20  based on a content of processing the electric wire W at a subsequent process.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a Divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/230,806, filed Sep. 12, 2011, entitled “ELECTRIC WIRE END TREATMENTDEVICE AND ELECTRIC WIRE END TREATMENT METHOD”, which is a ContinuationApplication of PCT Application No. PCT/JP2010/056382, filed Apr. 8,2010, which was published under PCT Article 21 (2) in Japanese.

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority fromprior Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-095642, filed Apr. 10, 2009;Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-101779, filed Apr. 20, 2009;Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-233271, filed Oct. 7, 2009; and,Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-081041, filed Mar. 31, 2010, theentire contents of each application listed above are incorporated hereinby reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an electric wire end treatment deviceand an electric wire end treatment method.

BACKGROUND ART

In a wire harness used for automobiles and the like, a plurality ofelectric wires, which are formed of insulated electric wire conductors,are bound to each other, connecting terminals are arranged on electricwire ends, and further, the connecting terminals are accommodated in aconnector housing to form a connector.

Conventionally, a wire harness is manufactured by being subjected toprocesses of electric wire cutting, removing coating of ends, connectingterminals (crimping or pressure welding), and inserting connectors, inthis order.

Among the above-mentioned processes, a cutting process for an electricwire is a process to cut an electric wire one by one to have apredetermined length. The coating removing process for an end is aprocess to expose an electric wire conductor by removing a part of aninsulating coating. Further, the terminal connecting process is aprocess of crimping or pressure welding terminals to an exposed electricwire conductor. In a case of pressure welding, sometimes, a terminal canbe connected to an electric wire conductor even an insulating coatingremains thereon.

The connector inserting process is the process of repeating collectingpredetermined electric wires with terminals for each wire harness andinserting the terminals into a predetermined position in the connectorhousing. After the connector inserting process, the bound electric wiresare finally secured with a tape or the like to form a set of wireharness. The processes are performed manually or with automatedmachines. Patent Document 1 as mentioned below discloses an example ofmanufacturing a wire harness.

Among the processes as described above, in the electric wire endtreatment process from the electric wire cutting process to the terminalconnecting process, changeover of a supply portion for electric wiresand/or a supply portion for components to be assembled such as terminalsand the like, and a connecting portion (crimping portion) for connecting(crimping) components to be assembled such as terminals to the ends isperformed so as to handle manufacturing multiple types of electric wireswhich are treated at ends.

Conventionally, in order to mitigate temporal load and/or operationalload required for the changeover as mentioned above, in general,so-called a lot production method is employed. In this method, multiplewires are collectively subjected to end treatment for every type ofelectric wires which will be required, and electric wires subjected tothe end treatment are temporarily stored as a middle stock.

In the lot production method, for example, as in a manufacturing processfor wire harnesses shown in FIG. 19, multiple types (two types in thefigure) of electric wires are respectively manufactured by thechangeover using multiple (three in the figure) electric wire endtreatment devices. In FIG. 19, the electric wire end treatment devicesmanufacture electric wires W1, W3, and W5, which have different lengths,different types of terminals connected thereto, and the like. Then,after the changeover, they further manufacture electric wires W2, W4,and W6 of different types.

Next, when the end treatment process in the electric wire end treatmentdevice is finished, the electric wires W1 through W6 are sorted andtemporarily stored in predetermined storage spaces provided in a factoryfor each of the type. The temporarily stored electric wires W1 throughW6 are moved to a subsequent process by a worker who manually retrievesa necessary one from the stored multiple types of electric wires.

A process subsequent to the electric wire end treatment process may be,for example, a twisting process for twisting a multiple electric wiresto entangle, a jointing process for connecting ends of multiple wireharnesses, a sub-assy process for previously integrating a part whichform wire harnesses used one vehicle, and the like.

Actually, the above-mentioned electric wires W1 through W6 are moved tothe sub-assy process after the twisting process, jointing process or thelike, or directly to the sub-assy process, depending upon the types ofthe vehicles to which the wire harnesses are assembled and the like. Agroup of electric wires assembled in the sub-assy process aretransferred on an assemble conveyer, subjected to processes such asconnector inserting and the like, and then moved to a final assemblingprocess for forming wire harnesses for one vehicle.

In the lot production method as described above, if a large number oftypes of the electric wires are stored the storing spaces, the operationto manually retrieve the electric wires W1 through W6 which will berequired in the subsequent process of the electric wire end treatmentprocess becomes complicated, and there is a risk that a workererroneously retrieves different types of electric wires. For such areason, manufacturing defects such as erroneous integration tend tooccur.

Further, if the electric wires subjected to the end treatment aremounted without being organized based on their types, it takes time tofind out a target electric wire for the subsequent process, or theelectric wires tangle to each other, thereby making them difficult to beretrieved. Accordingly, the productivity has been low.

Patent Document 2 mentioned below discloses providing an electric wiresupply shelf for sorting the electric wires subjected to the endtreatment into different types and storing them in a storage spaceprovided adjacent to the electric wire end treatment device. In thePatent Document 2 mentioned below, a plurality of holders foraccommodating sorted electric wires for different types are set to theelectric wire supply shelf. A lid is provided for each holder, and onlya lid corresponding to an electric wire which will be required at thesubsequent process is automatically opened in order to suppresserroneous assembly.

PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS Patent Documents

-   Patent Document 1: International Patent Publication 96/24179    pamphlet-   Patent Document 2: Laid-open Patent Publication No. 6-223646

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention

The lot production method, even the conventional art disclosed in theabove-mentioned Patent Document 2, requires a storage space for sortingthe electric wires subjected to the end treatment into different typesand storing them as described above. Accordingly, there is a problemthat, as a scale of a factory, process, and/or production increases, thestorage space also increases and a space efficiency deteriorates.

Further, for getting all of a set of electric wires which form a wireharness, it is necessary to select required ones from a wide variety ofthe electric ends which are subjected to the end treatment and which aresorted in the different types previously, and gather all for the set.Thus, so-called waiting-for-material occurs in the subsequent process,and as a result, a lead time becomes long.

Furthermore, in a case where a wide-variety, small-lot production of thewire harness is required, the number of types of the electric wiresincreases. Thus, the lot production method as described above has aproblem that the middle stock of the electric wires stored in thestoring space becomes large since a wide variety of electric wires haveto be manufactured previously while the production volume is small.

An objective of the present invention is to provide an electric wire endtreatment device and an electric wire end treatment method which canreduce a space of a manufacturing place and a lead time between anelectric wire end treatment process and a subsequent process, and can bereadily applied to a wide-variety, small-lot production of electricwires.

Means for Solving the Problems

An electric wire end treatment device according to the present inventionis an electric wire end treatment device including an end treatmentportion which treats ends of an electric wire and a transfer portionwhich transfers the electric wire, the electric wire end treatmentdevice, which also includes a discharge portion which discharges theelectric wire which is subjected to an end treatment by the endtreatment portion and transferred by the transfer portion, and in whichthe discharge portion includes securing means for securing the electricwire in a predetermined arrangement pattern, a calculation portion,which controls a securing treatment for securing the electric wire tothe securing means in the discharge portion, is provided, and thepredetermined arrangement pattern is set by the calculation portionbased on a content of processing the electric wire at a subsequentprocess.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of engagingportions for engaging end portions of the electric wire aligned in aparallel direction are arranged in the parallel direction in thesecuring means, the calculation portion sets an alignment pattern forthe electric wire in the parallel direction as the arrangement pattern,and the electric wire is secured to the securing means in the alignmentpattern in the discharge portion.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the parallel direction ofthe engaging portions and a transfer direction for the electric wire bythe transfer portion are substantially identical directions.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of dischargechucks, which holds both ends of the electric wire transferred by thetransfer portion and performs a discharge treatment at the dischargeportion under control of the calculation portion, are provided betweenthe transfer portion and the discharge portion, the discharge chucks areprovided substantially horizontally and parallel in a directionsubstantially vertical to the transfer direction, and the dischargechucks secure the electric wire to the securing means in a folded stateby overlapping and securing the both ends of the electric wire at thesame positions in the parallel direction.

One embodiment of the present invention includes a recording portionwhich records electric wire processing information relates to thecontent of processing the electric wire at the subsequent process, inwhich the calculation portion sets the predetermined arrangement patternbased on the electric wire processing information, and the end treatmentportion and the transfer portion are controlled by the calculationportion based on the electric wire processing information.

In one embodiment of the present invention, an end treatment for each ofelectric wires by the end treatment portion is controlled by thecalculation portion based on the electric wire processing information.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the end treatment portionincludes treating means for performing a treatment for the electric wirein accordance with an end treatment pattern, and the treating means iscontrolled by the calculation portion based on the electric wireprocessing information.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the recording portion issecured to the securing means, a reading portion, which reads out theelectric wire processing information from the recording portion, isprovided, and the securing treatment is controlled by the calculationportion based on the electric wire processing information read out bythe reading portion.

An electric wire end treatment method according to the present inventionis an electric wire end treatment method which performs an end treatmentfor treating ends of an electric wire, and a transfer treatment fortransferring the electric wire, the electric wire end treatment method,in which a discharge treatment for discharging the electric wire whichis subjected to the end treatment and transferred by the transfertreatment is performed, and a securing treatment for securing theelectric wire in an arrangement pattern set based on a content ofprocessing the electric wire at a subsequent process is performed in thedischarge treatment.

Effect of the Invention

According to the present invention, an electric wire end treatmentdevice and an electric wire end treatment method which can reduce aspace of a manufacturing place and a lead time between an electric wireend treatment process and a subsequent process, and can be readilyapplied to a wide-variety, small-lot production of electric wires can beprovided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 A plan view of an electric wire end treatment device according toan embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 2( a)-(d) Illustrative diagrams of a discharge device of theelectric wire end treatment device.

FIG. 3 A plan view of the electric wire end treatment device showing anelectric wire being supplied to a crimping portion.

FIG. 4 A plan view of the electric wire end treatment device showing thedischarge device holding a discharge side end of the electric wire.

FIG. 5 A plan view of the electric wire end treatment device showing thedischarge device holding a supply side end and the discharge side end.

FIG. 6 A plan view of the electric wire end treatment device showing theends of the electric wire being secured to a discharge beam.

FIG. 7 Diagrams showing a discharge beam and a state of securingelectric wires thereto.

FIG. 8 A plan view showing another state of securing electric wires tothe discharge beam.

FIG. 9 An illustrative diagram for illustrating a manufacturing processfor wire harnesses using the electric wire end treatment device and anelectric wire treatment method according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 10 A plan view of a conventional electric wire end treatmentdevice.

FIG. 11 Diagrams showing a discharge beam in an electric wire endtreatment device according to another embodiment of the presentinvention and a state of securing electric wires thereto.

FIG. 12 A plan view of the electric wire end treatment device.

FIG. 13 A front view of a discharge beam supply discharge portion.

FIG. 14 A front view of the discharge portion showing a discharge beambeing inserted into a discharge beam supply portion.

FIG. 15 A front view of the discharge portion showing the discharge beambeing elevated to a discharge beam discharge portion.

FIG. 16 A front view of the discharge portion showing one of dischargebeams being moved to a predetermined position of the discharge beamdischarge portion with a transfer claw.

FIG. 17 Diagrams showing a discharge beam in an electric wire endtreatment device according to yet another embodiment of the presentinvention and a state of securing electric wires thereto.

FIG. 18 A diagram showing yet another state of securing the electricwires to the discharge beam.

FIG. 19 An illustrative diagram for illustrating a conventionalmanufacturing process for wire harnesses.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

As shown in FIGS. 1 through 8, an electric wire end treatment device 1according to the present invention is an electric wire end treatmentdevice 1 including an end treatment portion 1 a (a measuring portion 2,a cutting portion 3, a strip portion 4, and a crimping portion 5) fortreating ends of an electric wire W and a transfer portion 7 fortransferring the electric wire W, which also includes a dischargeportion 6 which discharges the electric wire W subjected to an endtreatment by the end treatment portion 1 a and transferred by thetransfer portion 7. The discharge portion 6 includes a discharge beam 11which secures the electric wire W in a predetermined arrangementpattern. The electric wire end treatment device 1 includes a calculationdevice 20 which controls a securing treatment for securing the electricwire W to the discharge beam 11 in the discharge portion 6. Thecalculation device 20 sets the predetermined arrangement pattern basedon a content of processing the electric wire W at a subsequent process.

In the discharge beam 11, a plurality of engaging portions 11 b, 11 b, .. . for engaging end portions Wa, Wb, . . . of the electric wire W whichare aligned in a parallel direction are arranged in the paralleldirection. The calculation device 20 sets an alignment pattern of theelectric wire W in the parallel direction as the arrangement pattern.The discharge portion 6 secures the electric wire W to the dischargebeam 11 in the alignment pattern.

Herein, the parallel direction of the engagement portion 11 b is thedirection substantially identical to a transfer direction C for theelectric wire W by the transfer portion 7.

A plurality of discharge chucks 10 a and 10 b for holding both ends Waand Wb of the electric wire W transferred by the transfer portion 7 toperform discharge process at the discharge portion 6 under control ofthe calculation device 20 are provided between the transfer portion 7and the discharge portion 6. The discharge chucks 10 a and 10 b areprovided substantially horizontally and parallel to a directionsubstantially vertical to the transfer direction C of the transferportion 7. The discharge chucks 10 a and 10 b secure the both ends Waand Wb at the same position in the parallel direction such that theyoverlap each other. In this way, the electric wire W is secured to thedischarge beam 11 in a folded state.

Furthermore, a memory device 21 for recording electric wire processinginformation related to the content of processing the electric wire W atthe subsequent process in the end treatment process is provided. Thecalculation device 20 sets the predetermined arrangement pattern basedon the electric wire processing information, and also, the calculationdevice 20 controls the end treatment portion 1 a and the transferportion 7 based on the electric wire processing information.

Further, the calculation device 20 controls the end treatment by the endtreatment portion 1 a for each of the electric wire W based on theelectric wire processing information.

Furthermore, the end treatment portion 1 a includes crimping devices 5a, 5 b, 5 c, and 5 d as treatment means for treating the electric wire Win accordance with an end treatment pattern which will be describedlater. The calculation device 20 controls the crimping devices 5 a, 5 b,5 c, and 5 d based on the electric wire processing information.

The embodiment of the present invention is described in details withreference to FIGS. 1 through 9.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the electric wire end treatment device 1according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 2( a)-(d) areillustrative diagrams showing a discharge device 10 of the electric wireend treatment device 1. Specifically, FIG. 2( a) is a diagram showinghow a discharge cylinder 10 c descends with the discharge chuck 10 abeing opened, and the discharge chuck 10 a holds a discharge side endWb. FIG. 2( b) is a diagram showing how a discharge cylinder 10 cascends with the discharge chuck 10 b being opened and with thedischarge chuck 10 a holding the discharge side end Wb. FIG. 2( c) is adiagram showing how the discharge chuck 10 b holds a supply side end Waand the discharge side end Wb after the discharge cylinder 10 d descendswith the discharge chuck 10 b being opened. FIG. 2( d) is a diagramshowing how the discharge chuck 10 a holds the supply side end Wa andthe discharge side end Wb after the discharge chuck 10 a once releasesthe discharge side end Wb, and then the discharge cylinder 10 d ascendswith the discharge chuck 10 b holding the supply side end Wa and thedischarge side end Wb.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the electric wire end treatment device 1showing how the electric wire W is supplied to the crimping portion 5.FIG. 4 is a plan view of the electric wire end treatment device 1showing how the discharge device 10 holds the discharge side end Wb ofthe electric wire W. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the electric wire endtreatment device 1 showing how the discharge device 10 holds the supplyside end Wa and the discharge side end Wb.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the electric wire end treatment device 1showing how the ends Wa and Wb of the electric wire W are secured to thedischarge beam. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the discharge beam 11 andhow the electric wire W is secured thereto. Specifically, FIG. 7( a) isa plan view of the discharge beam 11, FIG. 7( b) is a cross-sectionalview along K1-K1, and FIG. 7( c) is a cross-sectional view along K2-K2.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing another example of securing the electricwire W to the discharge beam 11. FIG. 9 is an illustrative diagram forillustrating a manufacturing process for wire harnesses using theelectric wire end treatment device 1 and the electric wire end treatmentmethod according to the embodiment of the present invention.

In the electric wire end treatment device 1 shown in FIG. 1, theelectric wire W is supplied to a measuring portion 2 which will bedescribed later from an upper side in the Figure toward a lower side,and, through processes of measuring, cutting, connecting (crimping) anddischarging which will be described later, the electric wire moves froman electric wire supply side A toward an electric wire discharge side B.

Herein, the electric wire W is formed of a conductor including aconducting line, and a non-conductive coating for coating the conductor.In the figures, the supply side end and the discharge side end of theelectric wire W are respectively denoted by reference codes Wa and Wb.

The electric wire end treatment device 1 includes the measuring portion2 for measuring electric wires, the cutting portion 3 for cutting themeasured electric wires, the strip portion 4 for removing coatings ofthe ends Wa and Wb, the crimping portion 5 for crimping terminals to theends Wa and Wb of the electric wire W from which coatings are removed,the discharge portion 6 for discharging the crimped electric wires, thetransfer portion 7 for moving the electric wire W from the measuringportion 2 to the discharge portion 6, a transferring actuator 8 fordriving the transfer portion 7, a temporary holding chuck 9 fordischarging the electric wire W transferred by the transfer portion 7after the crimping process to the discharge portion 6, a dischargedevice 10 for receiving the ends Wa and Wb from the temporary holdingchuck 9 and moving them toward the discharge portion 6, the calculationdevice 20 for sending control signals which control the components (themeasuring portion 2, the cutting portion 3, the strip portion 4, thecrimping portion 5, the transfer portion 7 (the transferring actuator,the temporary holding chuck 9, and the discharge device 10), the memorydevice 21 for storing electric wire processing information which will bedescribed later, and a cable 22 for communicating the control signals.In the present embodiment, among the above-described components, themeasuring portion 2, the cutting portion 3, the strip portion 4, and thecrimping portion 5 form the end treatment portion 1 a which performs endtreatment for electric wires.

Among such components, the crimping portion 5 includes a plurality ofcrimping devices 5 a, 5 b, 5 c, and 5 d for terminals of differenttypes, allowing it to be applied to multiple types of end treatmentpatterns (herein, patterns in the end treatment depending upon types ofthe terminals to be crimped to the ends Wa and Wb, presence ofterminals, and the like are referred to as end treatment patterns). Inthe present embodiment, four crimping devices 5 a, 5 b, 5 c, and 5 d areprovided so as to handle terminals of four types.

Movement of the electric wire W from the measuring portion 2 to thedischarge portion 6 is performed by the transfer portion 7. The transferportion 7 is formed of a plurality of securing side chucks 7 a securedto a main body of the electric wire end treatment device 1, a pluralityof transfer side chucks 7 b which are made possible to transfer withrespect to the main body of the electric wire end treatment device 1,and a guide rail 7 c for securing the plurality of transfer side chucks7 b. The chucks 7 a and 7 b are respectively arranged into lines.

Herein, the securing side chucks 7 a and the transfer side chucks 7 bare to be opened and closed in a horizontal direction in the figure. Thesecuring side chucks 7 a are formed of a first securing side chuck 7 a 1which opposes the measuring portion 2 and the cutting portion 3, asecond securing side chuck 7 a 2 which opposes the strip portion 4, andthird securing side chucks 7 a 3, 7 a 3, . . . , which oppose thecrimping devices 5 a through 5 d of the crimping portion 5.

The transfer side chucks 7 b are formed of a first transfer side chuck 7b 1 which opposes the measuring portion 2 and the cutting portion 3, asecond transfer side chuck 7 b 2 which opposes the strip portion 4, andthird transfer side chucks 7 b 3, 7 b 3, . . . , which oppose thecrimping devices 5 a through 5 d of the crimping portion 5. As any ofthe securing side chucks 7 a and the transfer side chucks 7 b, acommercially available air chuck may be used.

The guide rail 7 c is connected to the transferring actuator 8, and canmove parallel to the transfer direction C. Thus, the transfer portion 7can transfer electric wires substantially linearly in the transferdirection C from the electric wire supply side A to the electric wiredischarge side B.

Specifically, the transfer portion 7 holds an end Wa and Wb of theelectric wire W with a securing side chuck 7 a, and then, have atransfer side chuck 7 b at a same position in the transfer direction Chold the end Wa and Wb. Then, with the transfer side chuck 7 b holdingthe end Wa and Wb, the securing side chuck 7 a releases the end Wa andWb and the guide rail 7 c is moved parallel to the transfer direction Ctoward the electric wire transfer side B by one step. Then, the end Waand Wb is held by a securing side chuck 7 a at a same position as thetransfer side chuck 7 b holding the end Wa and Wb in the transferdirection C.

Next, the guide rail 7 c is returned to the electric wire supply side Aby one step, and the end Wa and Wb held by the securing side chuck 7 ais held by a transfer side chuck 7 b at a same position in the transferdirection C. Then, a series of operations by the securing side chucks 7a and the transfer side chucks 7 b as described above is performedagain. By repeating such a series of operations, the electric wires Ware fed in series to the electric wire discharge side B through thecutting process and/or crimping process.

Between the crimping portion 5 and the discharge portion 6 fordischarging the electric wire transferred by the transfer portion 7after the crimping process by the crimping portion 5, the temporaryholding chuck 9 for temporary receiving and holding the ends Wa and Wbfrom the transfer side chucks 7 b is provided. Between the transferportion 7 and the discharge portion 6, the discharge device 10 forfurther receiving the ends Wa and Wb from the temporary chuck 9 andmoving them to the discharge portion 6 is provided.

Now, the discharge device 10 is described with reference to FIGS. 2(a)-(d). The discharge device 10 is formed of discharge cylinders 10 cand 10 d which enable a plurality of (two in this example) dischargechucks 10 a and 10 b to move vertically, and a discharge actuator 10 efrom which the discharge cylinders 10 c and 10 d are hung and whichenables the discharge chucks 10 a and 10 b and the discharge cylinders10 c and 10 d to move in a horizontal direction so as to move theelectric wire W from the front of the temporary chuck 9 to the front ofthe discharge beam 11 which will be described later. The dischargechucks 10 a and 10 b are aligned substantially horizontally, and areprovided parallel in a direction substantially vertical to the transferdirection C (see direction D indicated by an arrow in the figures). InFIGS. 2( a)-(d), the transfer direction C is a direction vertical to theplane of the paper on which FIGS. 2( a)-(d) are drawn.

To the calculation device 20, electric wire information, which relatesto the content of processing at the process subsequent to the endtreatment process for the electric wire W per formed in the electricwire end treatment device 1, is previously input, and the calculationdevice 20 have the memory device 21 stores the information. Thecalculation device 20 reads out the electric wire processing informationfrom the memory device 21 as necessary, and controls the end treatmentportion 1 a (the measuring portion 2, the cutting portion 3, the stripportion 4, and the crimping portion 5), the transfer portion 7, thetemporary holding chuck 9, the discharge device 10 and the like based onthe information.

Herein, the content of processing mentioned above includes types of theelectric wires used in processing, the number thereof, the order of theelectric wires to be processed, and types of processing (for example, atwisting process, a jointing process, a sub-assy process, and the like).

Now, the discharge beam 11 provided in the discharge portion 6 isdescribed. The discharge beam 11 is a jig which organizes a dischargedelectric wire into a small size and secures. As shown in FIG. 7, thedischarge beam 11 includes a bottom portion 11 a and engagement portions11 b. A length of the bottom portion 11 a is about 0.1 to 1 m. Thebottom portion 11 a is a plate-like holding fixture for securing theengagement portions 11 b, and is formed of metal, resin, or the like.Holes are provided on an upper surface of the bottom portion 11 a with apredetermined substantially equal intervals therebetween.

An engagement portion 11 b is formed of a supporting rod 11 c, a volt 11d for securing a lower end of the supporting rod 11 c, and an engagingbody 11 e which covers a side portion of the supporting rod 11 c. Aplurality of engagement portions 11 b are provided parallel to eachother.

The supporting rod 11 c is covered by the engaging body 11 e and athreaded hole 11 c 1 is formed on one end of the supporting rod 11 c.The volt 11 d is provided inside the bottom portion 11 a, and the volt11 d penetrates through the hole of the bottom portion 11 a and isscrewed to the threaded hold 11 c 1, thereby threadably mounting one endof the supporting rod 11 a onto the bottom portion 11 a.

Herein, the engaging body 11 e has a tubular shape having a hole forinserting the supporting rod 11 c therethrough in the center. Across-sectional shape of the engaging body 11 e may be any shape as longas the electric wires can be easily secured. It can be a shape of star,a rhomboid shape, or the like.

The intervals of the engaging bodies 11 e are set such that the electricwires are not damaged and are securely engaged (sandwiched).Specifically, the distances between the engaging bodies 11 e on an outersurface are set to be shorter than a diameter of the electric wire.Further, the distances between the supporting rods 11 c on an outersurface are set to be longer than a diameter of the electric wire. Theengaging bodies 11 e are formed of a material which elastically deformssuch as an elastic body, resin, rubber, sponge and the like.

The discharge beam 11 forms engagement spaces 11 f, 11 f, . . . betweenthe engaging portions 11 b, 11 b, . . . (the engaging bodies 11 e, 11 e,. . . ) adjacent to each other. With such a structure, the end Wa or Wbof the electric wire W is inserted into the engagement space 11 fbetween the engaging portions 11 b and 11 b adjacent to each other andthe end Wa or Wb is sandwiched by the engagement bodies 11 e and 11 e,thereby enabling the end Wa or Wb to be engaged at a predeterminedposition.

In the discharge portion 6, the discharge beam 11 is provided such thatthe parallel direction of the engaging portions 11 b and the transferdirection C of the electric wire W by the transfer portion 7 aresubstantially identical directions.

Now, operations of the electric wire end treatment device 1 according tothe present embodiment are described.

Under operation control of the calculation device 20, the electric wireend treatment device 1 supplies the electric wire W along apredetermined path, which passes through the measuring portion 2 and thecutting portion 3 as indicated by a solid line in FIG. 1, by an electricwire supply device which is not shown in the figure. The direction ofthe discharge side end Wb of the electric wire W is reversed by 180degrees as indicated by a solid line in FIG. 1 by a reversing devicewhich is not shown in the figure, and the electric wire W is provided tothe strip portion 4. At this time, with a portion near the dischargeside end Wb being held by the second securing side chuck 7 a 2 opposingthe strip portion 4, a part of the coating of the discharge side end Wbis removed at the strip portion 4.

When the electric wire W is supplied by the electric wire supply device,the total length of the electric wire W is measured by the measuringportion 2 as it passes through the measuring portion 2, and is fed untilit has a desired length. Then, the supply side end Wa is held by thefirst securing side chuck 7 a 1 opposing the cutting portion 3, and thesupply side end Wa is cut by a cutter or the like at the cutting portion3.

In the present embodiment, as the measuring portion 2 and the cuttingportion 3 are controlled by the calculation device 20, an end treatmentdepending upon each of the electric wires W can be performed such assetting lengths for each of the electric wires W based on the electricwire processing information stored in the memory device 21.

Next, the electric wire W is transferred in the direction of thetransfer direction C by the transfer portion 7 by one step.Specifically, portions of the supply side end Wa and the discharge sideend Wb of the electric wire W, which are held by the first securing sidechuck 7 a 1 and the second securing side chuck 7 a 2, are held by thefirst transfer side chuck 7 b 1 and the second transfer side chuck 7 b2, which are respectively at same positions in the transfer direction C.Then, the first securing side chucks 7 a 1 and 7 a 2 release holding,and the transferring actuator 8 drives the guide rail 7 c to moveparallel to the transfer direction C toward the electric discharge sideB by one step.

Specifically, in the electric wire end treatment device 1, as the guiderail 7 c moves, all the transfer side chucks 7 b (7 b 1 through 7 b 3)move toward the electric discharge side B by one step. In this way, asshown in FIG. 1 by two dotted chain line as an electric wire W′, adischarge side end Wb′ moves by one step and reaches the crimpingportion 5. At the same time, a supply side end Wa′ moves by one step andreaches the strip portion 4.

Next, the supply side end Wa and the discharge side end Wb of theelectric wire W are held by the second securing side chuck 7 a 2 and thethird securing side chuck 7 a 3, and then, the first and the secondtransfer side chucks 7 b 1 and 7 b 2 release holding. Next, a terminalis crimped to the discharge side end Wb at the crimping portion 5 by aterminal crimping machine (applicator) not shown in the figure. Also, apart of the coating of the supply side end Wa is removed at the stripportion 4.

Then, the guide rail 7 c is returned toward the electric wire supplyside A by one step, and the discharge side end Wb held by the thirdsecuring side chuck 7 a 3 is now held by the third transfer side chuck 7b 3 at the same position as the third securing side chuck 7 a 3 in thetransfer direction C. At the same time, the supply side end Wa held bythe second securing side chuck 7 a 2 is now held by the second transferside chuck 7 b 2 at the same position as the second securing side chuck7 a 2 in the transfer direction C. Then, the second and third securingside chucks 7 a 2 and 7 a 3 release holding the ends Wa and Wb.

Next, with the second transfer side chucks 7 b 2 and 7 b 3 holding theends Wa and Wb, the guide rail 7 c is moved parallel to the transferdirection C toward the electric wire discharge side B by one step. Inthis way, the ends Wa and Wb move by one step.

Then, the supply side end Wa is held by the third securing side chuck 7a 3, and at the same time, the discharge side end Wb is held by thethird securing side chuck 7 a 3 at the same position as the thirdtransfer side chuck 7 b 3 in the transfer direction C. The second andthe third transfer side chucks 7 b 2 and 7 b 3 release holding. Then, aterminal is crimped to the supply side end Wa at the crimping portion 5by the terminal crimping machine (applicator).

In this way, a series of operations such as holding the ends Wa and Wbby the securing side chuck 7 a, holding the ends Wa and Wb by thetransfer side chuck 7 b, releasing the held ends Wa and Wb by thesecuring side chuck 7 a, moving the guide rail 7 c, holding the ends Waand Wb by the securing side chuck 7 a, releasing the held the ends Waand Wb by the transfer side chuck 7 b, returning the guide rail 7 c,holding the ends Wa and Wb by the transfer chuck 7 b, releasing the heldends Wa and Wb by the securing side chuck 7 a, moving the guide rail 7c, . . . and so on are repeated for performing a desired end treatment.

The above-described crimping portion 5 includes a plurality of crimpingdevice 5 a, 5 b, 5 c, and 5 d. This is because a terminal to be crimpedmay differ as end treatment patterns are set depending upon types of theelectric wires W. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the calculationdevice 20 controls the components such that crimping is started when thesupply side end Wa and the discharge side end Wb reach the predeterminedcrimping devices 5 a through 5 d based on the electric wire processinginformation previously stored in the memory device 21.

Next, the electric wire W, which is subjected to the crimping treatmentas shown in FIG. 3, is discharged to the discharge portion 6.Specifically, the third transfer side chuck 7 b 3 holds a portion of thedischarge side end Wb of the electric wire W which is held by the thirdsecuring chuck 7 a 3, and then, the third securing side chuck 7 a 3releases holding. Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the guide rail 7 c is movedin the transfer direction C toward the electric discharge side B by onestep, and the temporary holding chuck 9, which is provided between thecrimping portion 5 and the discharge portion 6, receives the dischargeside end Wb from the third transfer side chuck 7 b 3 to hold. Then, thedischarge device 10 receives and holds the discharge side end Wb and thetemporary holding chuck 9 releases the discharge side end Wb.

Further, with the supply side end Wa of the electric wire W being heldby the third securing side chuck 7 a 3, the guide rail 7 c returnstoward the electric wire supply side A by one step from the state asshown in FIG. 4. Then, the third transfer side chuck 7 b 3 at the sameposition as the third securing side chuck 7 a 3 which is currentlyholding the supply side end Wa in the transfer direction C receives thesupply side end Wa from the third securing side chuck 7 a 3 to hold.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5, since the guide rail 7 c moves toward theelectric wire discharge side B, the third transfer side chuck 7 b 3moves toward the electric wire discharge side B by one step. After thetemporary holding chuck 9 receives the supply side end Wa from the thirdtransfer side chuck 7 b 3 and holds, the discharge device 10 similarlyreceives and hold the supply side end Wa, and then, the temporaryholding chuck 9 releases the supply side end Wa. Accordingly, thedischarge device 10 holds the supply side end Wa and the discharge sideend Wb. Then, the guide rail 7 c returns toward the electric wire supplyside A by one step.

Finally, the discharge device 10 moves from a position opposing thetemporary holding chuck 9 to a neighborhood of the discharge beam 11provided in the discharge portion 6 as shown in FIG. 6 by thedischarging actuator 10 e (see FIGS. 2( a)-(d)). Then, as will bedescribed later, the electric wire W is secured to the discharge beam 11by the discharge device 10, and the electric wire W is released todischarge the electric wire W to the discharge portion 6 and to completethe end treatment process for the electric wire W.

Operations of the discharge device 10 controlled by the calculationdevice 20 are described in details. When the discharge side end Wb whichis transferred by the transfer portion 7 is held by the temporaryholding chuck 9, the discharge cylinder 10 c descends and the dischargechuck 10 a holds the discharge side end Wb as shown in FIG. 2( a). Then,as shown in FIG. 2( b), with the discharge chuck 10 a holding thedischarge side end Wb, the discharge cylinder 10 c ascends.

Next, when the supply side end Wa which is transferred by the transferportion 7 is held by the temporary holding chuck 9, the dischargecylinder 10 d descends and the discharge chuck 10 b holds the supplyside end Wa and the discharge side end Wb as shown in FIG. 2( c). Then,as shown in FIG. 2( d), with the discharge chuck 10 b holding the supplyside end Wa and the discharge side end Wb, the discharge cylinder 10 dascends. When the discharge cylinder 10 d finishes ascending, thedischarge chuck 10 a holds the supply side end Wa and the discharge sideend Wb.

Further, the discharge chucks 10 a and 10 b and the discharge cylinders10 c and 10 d are moved to positions above the discharge beam 11 by thedischarge actuator 10 e, and the discharge cylinders 10 c and 10 d aredescended to insert the ends Wa and Wb into a desired engagement space11 f of the discharge beam 11 (see FIG. 7). In this way, the supply sideend Wa and the discharge side end Wb are secured to desired positions onthe discharge beam 11. After the securing process, the discharge chucks10 a and 10 b release the supply side end Wa and the discharge side endWb, thereby completing the discharge process.

The supply side end Wa and the discharge side end Wb are inserted intothe engagement space 11 f between the engagement portions 11 b adjacentto each other on the discharge beam 11, and are sandwiched (engaged)with two engaging bodies 11 e and 11 e. In this way, the electric wire Wis secured to the discharge beam 11 in a folded state. At this time,both the supply side end Wa and the discharge side end Wb may be securedto the same position in a parallel direction of the engaging portion 11b, i.e., may be overlapped and secured in one engagement space 11 f asshown in FIG. 7( a). Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 8, one of the ends,i.e., the supply side end Wa, and the other of the ends, i.e., thedischarge side end Wb, may be secured at different positions, i.e., indifferent engagement spaces 11 f. A method for securing the electricwire W is not limited to such examples, and may be set freely by movingthe discharge device 10 to a desired position.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a plurality of electric wires W are alignedin the parallel direction of the engaging portions 11 b and secured tothe discharge beam 11. However, the arrangement pattern when theelectric wires W are secured to the discharge beam 11 (herein, analignment pattern in the parallel direction of the engaging portion 11 bof the discharge beam 11) are set by the calculation device 20 based onthe electric wire processing information, i.e., the content ofprocessing at the process subsequent to the end treatment process.

Specifically, the calculation device 20 reads out the electric wireprocessing information relates to the content of processing from thememory device 21, and controls the discharge device 10 based on theelectric wire processing information. In this way, the securing processfor securing the electric wires W to the discharge beam 11 in thedischarge portion 6 is controlled, and a plurality of the electric wiresW are secured in accordance with previously set alignment pattern.

A series of operations as described above is repeated for performing theend treatment for a plurality of electric wires. A wire harness ismanufactured by moving such wires to the subsequent process shown inFIG. 9. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, the end treatment process forthe electric wires W is followed by a twisting process, a jointingprocess, a sub-assy process, and the like. The processing types such astwisting process, a jointing process, a sub-assy process, and the likeshown in FIG. 9 are similar to those in FIG. 19 which shows aconventional manufacturing process, and the detailed descriptions areomitted.

Herein, in the discharge portion 6 of the electric wire end treatmentdevice 1, for example, a set of electric wires W which will be necessaryin the subsequent process in manufacturing a wire harness are alignedfrom the right or left of the discharge beam 11 in an order to be usedin the subsequent process. In this way, the wires can be aligned in away which allows a worker to readily perform operations withouthesitating.

For supplying electric wires W to a twisting process as a subsequentprocess, multiple sets of electric wires W may be aligned from the rightor left of the discharge beam 11 repeatedly in units of the number ofthe wires to be twisted at a time. For supplying electric wires W to ajointing process as a subsequent process, multiple sets of electricwires W may be aligned from the right or left of the discharge beam 11repeatedly in units of the number of the wires to be jointed at a time.

In this way, in the present embodiment, the electric wires W are securedto the discharge beam 11 in the alignment pattern which is set based onthe content of processing the electric wires W at the process subsequentto the end treatment process, thereby enabling the electric wires Wrequired in the next process to be discharged in an organized state, andto be immediately moved from the discharge portion 6 to the next processto proceed operations.

This allows omitting a space for temporarily storing electric wires Wwhich have been subjected to end treatment, and also an operation toselect and retrieve wires which will be required at a subsequent processfrom the space. Accordingly, a space in a manufacturing place for wireharnesses can be reduced, and a lead time between the end treatmentprocess and the subsequent process can be shortened.

Since only the wires required for the subsequent process are secured tothe discharge beam 11, it is no longer necessary to previouslymanufacture multiple types of electric wires W. Therefore, adisadvantage of a lot of middle stock is eliminated, and it becomespossible to readily handle a multiple-type, small-lot production.

Furthermore, since the electric wires W are aligned in the paralleldirection of the engagement portion 11 b, a worker can readilyunderstand an operational procedure in the subsequent process byconfirming the alignment order of the electric wires W, thereby ensuringsuppressing erroneous assembling in the subsequent process.

Further, since the alignment direction of electric wires W in thedischarge beam 11 is substantially identical to the transfer direction Cby the transfer portion 7, means for changing directions is notnecessary between the transfer portion 7 and the discharge portion 6. Inthis way, the electric wire end treatment device 1 can be prevented frombeing complicated.

Further, since the discharge chucks 10 a and 10 b are linedsubstantially horizontally, and are provided parallel in a directionsubstantially vertical to the transfer direction C, the size of theelectric wire end treatment device 1 can be readily reduced.

Specifically, in a conventional electric wire end treatment device 500shown in FIG. 10, temporary holding chucks 509 a and 509 b temporarilyreceive ends of an electric wire from a securing side chuck 7 a and atransfer side chuck 7 b. Further, discharge chucks 510 a and 510 breceive the ends of the electric wire from temporary holding chucks 509a and 509 b and move them to a discharge portion 6. Therefore, aninterval between the temporary holding chucks 509 a and 509 b and aninterval between the discharge chucks 510 a and 510 b have to match aninterval between the securing side chucks 7 a or an interval between thetransfer side chucks 7 b. Thus, it was difficult to reduce the size ofthe conventional electric wire end treatment device 500.

However, in the electric wire end treatment device 1 according to thepresent embodiment, as described above, the discharge chucks 10 a and 10b are lined substantially horizontally, and are provided parallel in adirection substantially vertical to the transfer direction C. With sucha structure, the size of the electric wire end treatment device 1 can bereduced, particularly in the transfer direction C.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, since the above-described discharge device10 secure the ends Wa and Wb at positions overlapping each other in theparallel direction of the engaging portions 11 b, the number of theengaging portions 11 b can be reduced, and as a result, a length of thedischarge beam 11 in the parallel direction of the engaging portions 11b can be reduced. Therefore, the discharge portion 6 in which thedischarge beam 11 is provided can be miniaturized, and the size of theelectric wire end treatment device 1 can be further reduced.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the memory device 21 whichrecords the electric wire processing information is provided, and thecalculation device 20 sets the alignment pattern and also controls theend treatment portion 1 a, the transfer portion 7, and the like based onthe electric wire processing information. Since the components arecontrolled commonly by the calculation device 20, the treatments in theelectric wire end treatment device 1 can be performed in associationwith each other. Thus, the electric wire end treatment device 1 can beoperated automatically and efficiently.

Further, since the calculation device 20 controls the end treatment foreach of the electric wires W in the end treatment portion 1 a based onthe electric wire processing information, it becomes possible to readilygenerate the electric wires W of various specifications by control, forexample, by varying lengths of the electric wires W cut at the cuttingportion 3 for each of the electric wires W based on the electric wireprocessing information.

Further, the end treatment portion 1 a includes the crimping devices 5a, 5 b, 5 c and 5 d as treatment means for performing treatments for theelectric wires W depending upon the end treatment patterns, and thecalculation device 20 controls the crimping devices 5 a, 5 b, 5 c and 5d based on the electric wire processing information. With such astructure, the ends Wa and Wb of the electric wires W can be treated invarious end treatment patterns by appropriately changing types ofterminals to be crimped, presence of a terminal, and so on based on theelectric wire processing information, for example.

Hereinafter, another embodiment of the electric wire end treatmentdevice and the electric wire end treatment method according to thepresent invention will be described in details with reference to FIGS.11 through 16. In FIGS. 11 through 16, components similar to those inthe first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 through 9 are denoted by the samereference numerals and the descriptions thereof are omitted.

FIGS. 11( a) through 11(c) are diagrams showing a discharge beam 111 inan electric wire end treatment device 100 according to anotherembodiment of the present invention, and a state of an electric wire Wsecured thereto. FIG. 11( a) is a plan view, FIG. 11( b) is across-sectional view along Y1-Y1, and FIG. 11( c) is a cross-sectionalview along Y2-Y2. FIG. 12 is a plan view of the electric wire endtreatment device 100. FIG. 13 is a front view of a discharge portion106. FIG. 14 is a front view of the discharge portion 106 with thedischarge beam 111 being inserted into a discharge beam supply portion106 a. FIG. 15 is a front view of the discharge portion 106 with thedischarge beam 111 being ascended to a discharge beam discharge portion106 b. FIG. 16 is a front view of the discharge portion 106 with one ofthe discharge beams 111 being moved to a predetermined position of thedischarge beam discharge portion 106 b by a transfer claw 118.

The electric wire end treatment device 100 includes an IC tag 112 whichrecords electric wire processing information relates to a content ofprocessing at a process subsequent to the end treatment process (seeFIG. 11( b)), an IC reader 114 which reads out the electric wireprocessing information from the IC tag 112, and a calculation device 120which controls a securing process for securing an electric wire W to thedischarge beam 111 in the discharge portion 106 based on the electricwire processing information read out by the IC reader 114 with the ICtag 112 being secured to the discharge beam 111.

As shown in FIGS. 11( b) and 11(c), the discharge beam 111 according tothe present embodiment is formed of a hollow bottom portion 111 a havinga cavity portion 111 a 1 inside, and a plurality of engaging portions 11b secured parallel to the bottom portion 111 a.

The IC tag 112 is secured to the cavity portion 111 a 1, and the IC tag112 records the electric wire processing information similar to thatstored in the memory device 21 in the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1through 9. A material of the bottom portion 111 a is not a metal, and isformed of a material which does not inhibit communication of the IC tag112. Preferably, a light material such as a resin, plastic or the likeis desirable. Furthermore, a transparent material is more desirable forthe bottom portion 111 a such that the IC tag 112 can be seen.

Further, the calculation device 120 shown in FIG. 12 receives theelectric wire processing information from the IC reader 114 of thedischarge portion 106, and controls a measuring portion 2, a cuttingportion 3, a strip portion 4, a crimping portion 5, the dischargeportion 106, a transfer portion 7, a temporary holding chuck 9, adischarge device 10 and the like based on the information.

In the present embodiment, the calculation device 120 controls thedischarge device 10 based on the electric wire processing informationrecorded on the IC tag 112, and secures a plurality of electric wires Win accordance with the previously set alignment pattern.

The discharge portion 106 according to the present embodiment isdescribed with reference to FIG. 13. The discharge portion 106 is formedof the discharge beam supply portion 106 a on a lower stage, and thedischarge beam discharge portion 106 b on an upper stage.

The discharge supply beam 106 a includes a belt conveyor 113, the ICreader 114, stoppers 115 a and 115 b, and a lifter portion 116.

The IC reader 114 is provided above the belt conveyor 113. The beltconveyor 113 has a belt 113 a fed toward the lifter portion 116 (fromthe right to left in FIG. 13). The stoppers 115 a and 115 b are providedindependently from the belt 113 a. Thus, even when the belt 113 a isbeing fed, the position of the discharge beam 111 can be maintained. Thelifter portion 116 is formed of a lifter table 116 a and a lifter 116 b,and is formed so as to be able to move horizontally between an upperstage position α indicated by a two-dotted chain line in FIG. 13 and alower stage position β indicated by a solid line. With the lifter table116 a and the lifter 116 b, the discharge beam 111 can be lifted fromthe discharge beam supply portion 106 a to the discharge beam dischargeportion 106 b.

The discharge beam discharge portion 106 b has a discharge beamdischarge table 117 positioned above the belt conveyor 113. The transferclaw 118 for moving the discharge beam 111 can be moved parallel to adischarge direction E by moving means, which is not shown, such as belt.As necessary, a metal shield plate is provided between the IC reader 114and the discharge beam discharge table 117 in order to prevent data frombeing erroneously read out.

A treatment at the discharge portion 106 according to the presentembodiment is described with reference to FIGS. 14 through 16. Thetreatment at the discharge portion 106 is controlled by the calculationdevice 120, and the calculation device 120 controls the operations ofthe components (the measuring portion 2, the cutting portion 3, thestrip portion 4, the crimping portion 5, the discharge portion 106, thetransfer portion 7 (the transferring actuator 8), the temporary holdingchuck 9, the discharge device 10, and the like).

In the discharge portion 106, first, a worker or the like inserts thedischarge beam 111 to the discharge beam supply portion 106 a in adischarge beam supply direction S, and the discharge beam 111 isprovided on the belt conveyor 113 as shown in FIG. 14. At this point,the electric wire W is not secured to discharge beam 111. Next, thedischarge beam 111 is moved in a direction of the discharge beam supplydirection S by the belt 113 a, and then, is stopped by the stopper 115 a(see FIG. 14). In such a state, the IC reader 114 reads out the electricwire processing information recorded on the IC tag 112 of the dischargebeam 111.

Based on the read out electric wire processing information, thecalculation device 120 controls the components of the electric wire endtreatment device 100 (the measuring portion 2, the cutting portion 3,the strip portion 4, the crimping portion 5, the discharge portion 106,the transfer portion 7 (the transferring actuator 8), the temporaryholding chuck 9, the discharge device 10, and the like). This allows theelectric wire end treatment device 100 to automatically start a seriesof end treatments such as measuring, cutting, stripping, and crimping aterminal for electric wires. The electric wire W subjected to endtreatment is inserted into an engagement space 11 f between the engagingportions 11 b and 11 b of the discharge beam 111 and engaged thereto bythe discharge device 10.

Then, the stopper 115 a is released, and the discharge beam 111 is movedtoward the lifter portion 116 by the belt conveyor 113. At this time, ifthe lifter table 116 a is positioned at the upper stage position α, thedischarge beam 111 is stopped in front of the lifter table 116 a by thestopper 115 b.

If the lifter table 116 a finishes descending, and is positioned at thelower stage position β, the stopper 115 b is released. The dischargebeam 111 is moved toward the lifter table 116 a by the belt conveyor113, and is placed on the lifter table 116 a.

Next, as shown in FIG. 15, the lifter table 116 a ascends to the upperstage by the lifter 116 b. The lifter 116 b is driven by a motor or thelike.

As shown in FIG. 16, when the lifter table 116 a ascends to the upperstage, the transfer claw 118 moves the discharge beam 111 to apredetermined position. At this time, the electric wire W, which istransferred by the transfer portion 7 and reaches the discharge portion106 by the discharge device 10, is inserted into a desired position inthe engagement space 11 f and is engaged between the engaging portions11 b and 11 b. A plurality of electric wires W are engaged between theengaging portions 11 b, and the securing treatment for the electricwires W to the discharge beam 111 is completed.

When all the electric wires W have been secured by the engaging portions11 b, the transfer claw 118 is moved toward the discharge beam dischargedirection E to complete the discharge treatment. Then, a workerretrieves the discharge beam 111, and moves to the subsequent process.

As shown in FIG. 16, even when the securing treatment for electric wiresW is being performed, another discharge beam 111′ may be inserted intothe discharge beam supply portion 106 a. This allows improvingefficiency of operations.

By repeating such operations, a worker can automatically secure adesired electric wire W to the discharge beam 111 based on the electricwire processing information only by injecting the discharge beam 111into the discharge beam supply portion 106 a. Therefore, inmanufacturing wire harnesses, erroneous assembling of the electric wiresW can be reduced significantly.

Conventionally, in the electric wire end treatment device, forperforming end treatments with predetermined conditions, afterchangeover of a supply portion for electric wires, terminals and thelike and a crimping portion, for controlling the components, a workerhas to confirm instructions and to manually entry processing conditionsin the instructions or simplified data which can discriminate processingconditions to the calculation device. During that time, the devicestops, causing the device to operate intermittently, and an operationrate thereof reduces. Therefore, it was not suitable for a wide-variety,small-lot production.

On the other hand, in the electric wire end treatment device 100according to the present embodiment, the IC tag 112 is secured to thedischarge beam 111. Thus, even when the content of processing at thesubsequent process changes, it is no longer necessary to perform dataentry operation for stage-switching operation every time.

Specifically, in the electric wire end treatment device 100, byinjecting the discharge beam 111, on which the IC tag 112 which has theelectric wire processing information based on a form of a wire harnessto be manufactured is provided, into the discharge beam supply portion106 a, the calculation device 120 automatically discriminates it andperform the stage-switching operation. In this way, the operations atthe end treatment process can be automated, and the wide-variety,small-lot production which requires a number of times of stage-switchingoperations can be performed efficiently.

A form of the electric wire processing information is not limited to theIC tag 112, but may be a barcode, a quick response (QR) code, or thelike as long as it utilizes radio waves to communicate wirelessly. Also,it can be either a contact or non-contact type, as long as the electricwire processing information can be distinguished.

In the present embodiment, the IC reader 114 is included in the electricwire end treatment device 100 as a reading portion for reading out theelectric wire processing information previously recorded on the IC tag112. Further, a writing portion for writing a predetermined informationinto the IC tag 112 may be further included. In such a case, forexample, information relates to an end treatment result (processed dateand time or the like) may be written, allowing quality control of theelectric wires W using the IC tag 112.

In the above-described embodiments, when the electric wires W aresecured to the discharge beam 11 or 111, they are aligned in theparallel direction of the engaging portions 11 b. However, the presentinvention is not limited to such examples. For example, as a dischargebeam 211 shown in FIG. 17, a supporting rod 211 c and an engagement body211 e elongated in a vertical direction may be provided in the engagingportion 211 b, and a plurality of the electric wires W may be aligned ina longitudinal direction, i.e., the vertical direction, and secured.

In such a case, the arrangement pattern of the electric wires W in thedischarge beam 211 is the alignment pattern of the electric wires W inthe longitudinal direction (vertical direction). For example, a set ofthe electric wires W to be required in the subsequent process inmanufacturing a wire harness may be aligned from an upper end of thedischarge beam 211 in the order to be used in the subsequent process.

In the above-described crimping portion 5, a terminal may be connectedto an electric wire end with a method other than the crimping. Forexample, pressure welding may be used for connecting.

The ends Wa and Wb of the electric wires W are cut at the same positionsat the cutting portion 3. Thus, the positions where the terminals arecrimped to the ends Wa and Wb at the crimping portion 5 have to be linedparallel to the transfer direction C of the electric wire end treatmentdevice 1 or 100. On the other hand, in many cases, the positions wherecrimping is performed vary depending upon the differences in thetreatment patterns in the crimping devices 5 a through 5 d.

Therefore, a crimping position adjustment portion may be providedbetween the strip portion 4 and the crimping portion 5, and a crimpingposition adjusting securing side chuck which can move in a directionvertical to the transfer direction C may be included in the crimpingposition adjustment portion. For example, before the crimping treatmentat the crimping device 5, the calculation device 20 or 120 previouslycontrols the crimping position adjustment portion and the ends Wa and Wbare provided at optimal crimping positions in accordance with thetreatment patterns. In this way, crimping can be performed appropriatelywithout position adjustment for the crimping portion 5.

As in the above-described embodiments, for securing the electric wires Wto the discharge beam 11, 111, or 211 (hereinafter, referred to as thedischarge beam 11 or the like), the electric wires W are subjected toend treatment in accordance with the order to be used in the subsequentprocess, and the electric wires W are aligned sequentially from the onewhich has been subjected to the end treatment in accordance with thealignment pattern. However, the present invention is not limited to suchan example. For example, the end treatment for the electric wires W maybe performed in an arbitrary order, and the electric wires W may bere-aligned in accordance with the alignment pattern by predeterminedre-alignment means while the electric wires W are being transferred bythe transfer portion 7 or being secured to the discharge beam 11 or thelike.

In the above-described embodiments, a set of the electric wires W to berequired in the process subsequent to the end treatment process arealigned from the right end or left end of the discharge beam 11 or thelike (the upper end of the discharge beam 211) in the order to be usedin the subsequent process. However, aligning the electric wires W froman end portion of the discharge beam 11 or the like is not necessarilyrequired in the present invention as long as a set of the electric wiresW can be moved to the subsequent process with the aligned state (theorder of alignment can be arbitrary) being maintained.

Further, in the electric wire end treatment device 1 or 100, an electricwire selecting portion, which will be described later, is provided,thereby enabling treatments for various types of electric wires W havingdifferent diameters, colors of insulating coatings, and the like. Byappropriately combining lengths of the electric wires W cut at thecutting portion 3, and/or end treatment patterns for the ends Wa and Wb,the electric wires W having various specifications can be generated.

In such a case, a plurality of electric wires W of different types aresupplied from the electric wire supply device, and the electric wireselecting portion selects the one(s) to be subjected to the endtreatment from the plurality of the electric wires W to supply to themeasuring portion 2.

As the electric wire selecting portion, the one including, for example,a plurality of holding mechanisms for individually holding the electricwires W supplied from the electric wire supply device, an endless beltfor maintaining the holding mechanisms with predetermined intervalstherebetween, and driving means such as a motor for rotary driving theendless belt, is used. In the electric wire selecting portion, aposition of the endless belt is set such that one of the holdingmechanisms can be provided alternatively in a movement path for theelectric wires W to the measuring portion 2.

Herein, for supplying the electric wire W to the measuring portion 2,first, the endless belt is rotary-driven by the driving means, and then,the holding mechanism holding the electric wire W to be subjected to theend treatment is provided on the movement path. At this time, theelectric wire W is provided along the movement path, and the electricwire W can be supplied to the measuring portion 2 as shown in FIG. 1 byhaving the holding mechanism release the electric wire W.

With the above-described electric wire selecting portion, the measuringportion 2, and the plurality of the crimping portions 5, the electricwires W of different types, lengths, and/or end treatment patterns canbe generated. However, the present invention is not necessarily limitedto such an example. For example, only one crimping portion 5 may beprovided, and only the types and lengths of the electric wires W may bemade variable while the end treatment pattern is unchanged.Alternatively, the electric wire selecting portion may be omitted, andonly the lengths and the end treatment patterns of the electric wires Wmay be made variable.

For securing the electric wires W to the discharge beam 11, the electricwires W are previously folded by the temporary holding chuck 9 and twodischarge chucks 10 a and 10 b of the discharge device in theabove-described embodiments. However, the present invention is notnecessarily limited to such an example. For example, only one dischargechuck may be provided in the discharge device 10 and the temporaryholding chuck 9 may be omitted. The ends Wa and Wb may be held by thedischarge chucks individually and the ends Wa and Wb may be secured tothe discharge beam 11 one by one.

For securing the electric wires W, it is not necessary to fold them. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 18, the electric wire W may be passed throughthe engagement space 11 f, 11 f, . . . between the engaging portions 11b, 11 b, . . . only once and may be secured in a substantially straightstate by holding only one of the ends Wa and Wb with the dischargechuck.

The above-described embodiments use the discharge beam 11 or the likewhich secures the electric wires W by sandwiching the ends Wa and Wbwith the engaging portions 11 b, 11 b, . . . . However, as long as thealignment state of the electric wires can be maintained, the presentinvention is not limited to having the above-described discharge beam 11or the like as securing means. For example, a plate-like base portionwith an adhesive member such as a double-faced tape or the like may beused as the securing means, and the electric wires W may be attached tothe adhesive member in accordance with a predetermine alignment pattern.In such a case, a magnet may be provided instead of the adhesive member,and the electric wires W may be secured with the magnet.

Regarding correspondence between the structure of the present inventionand the above-described embodiments, the end treatment portion of thepresent invention corresponds to the measuring portion 2, the cuttingportion 3, the strip portion 4, and the crimping portion 5. Similarly,the securing means corresponds to the discharge beams 11, 111, 111′, and211, the treatment means corresponds to the crimping devices 5 a, 5 b, 5c, and 5 d, the recording portion corresponds to the IC tag 112, thereading portion corresponds to the IC reader 114, and the calculationportion corresponds to the calculation devices 20 and 120. However, thepresent invention is not limited to the structures of theabove-described embodiments, and many other embodiments can be achieved.

For example, in the above-described embodiments, the electric wiresdischarged at the discharge portion are carried with a discharge beammanually by a worker to a workplace for the subsequent process. However,the present invention may be applied to an apparatus including a systemwhich automatically transfers the electric wires discharged at thedischarge portion with mechanical means such as a belt conveyor, a screwconveyor, and the like.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present invention can be utilized in manufacturing wire harnessesused for automobiles and the like.

DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   1 . . . Electric wire end treatment device-   1 a . . . End treatment portion-   2 . . . Measuring portion-   3 . . . Cutting portion-   4 . . . Strip portion-   5 . . . Crimping portion-   6 . . . Discharge portion-   7 . . . Transfer portion-   10 . . . Discharge device-   10 a, 10 b . . . Discharge chuck-   11, 111, 111′, 211 . . . Discharge beam-   11 b, 211 b . . . Engaging portion-   20, 120 . . . Calculation device-   112 . . . IC tag-   114 . . . IC reader

What is claimed is:
 1. A method to treat electric wire ends, comprising:treating ends of an electric wire with an end treatment portion;transferring, with a transfer portion, the electric wire; discharging,with a discharge portion, the electric wire after the treating andtransferring; recording, with a recording portion, electric wireprocessing information related to content processing of the electricwire at a subsequent process; reading out, with a reading portion, theelectric wire processing information in communication with the recordingportion; securing, with a securing means, the electric wire in apredetermined arrangement pattern which is provided in the dischargeportion, and controlling, with a calculation portion, a securingtreatment for securing the electric wire to the securing means in thedischarge portion, wherein: the recording portion is secured to a bottomportion of the securing means, a plurality of engaging portions forengaging end portions of the electric wire aligned in a paralleldirection are secured to the bottom portion and arranged in a paralleldirection in the securing means, the bottom portion is formed of amaterial which does not inhibit communication of the recording portion,based on the electric wire processing information of the electric wireat a subsequent process, which is read out by the reading portion incommunication with the recording portion, the calculation portion setsan alignment pattern for the electric wire in the parallel direction asthe predetermined arrangement pattern, and the calculation portioncontrols the end treatment portion and the transfer portion and alsocontrols the securing treatment for securing the electric wire in thepredetermined arrangement pattern to the securing means in the dischargeposition.